Old Fire Jeep going up for Auction in Northwest Ohio

[bmorgil]

Check this out. Sealed auction starting at $10,000. Bidding till April 2nd. Nice old Willys. I wonder what it will go for? I am guessing well out of my budget!

https://www.13abc.com/2021/03/26/a-piece-of-history-is-being-sold-to-help-a-local-fire-department/

[LarrBeard]

[QUOTE=bmorgil;16188]Check this out. Sealed auction starting at $10,000. Bidding till April 2nd. Nice old Willys. I wonder what it will go for? I am guessing well out of my budget!


It's nicer than many - but it's really a specialized collector item. No place to load up a bunch of Grandkids for ice cream.

[gmwillys]

Outside of anyone that has served in the fire service or a museum, there isn't much value to the average collector. $10,000 starting bid is a little steep unless you go into business filling swimming pools off the hydrant.

[5JeepsAz]

The right local business could park that thing out front as the coolest reminder of their community involvement ever, and way cheaper than a tv, radio, and social media campaign. Leave the fire department sign on it!

[bmorgil]

I think there looking for the "charity". The Go Fund Me page will be interesting. $10,000 would be a good come and get it price. It is 100% there and all operational. Including the Siren. They should have included the manufacture of the "Fire Jeep". Typically there was manufacturer of the fire truck so to speak. They would have received the Jeep and modified it. It would be good to supply that info.

[gmwillys]

I agree that the information on the company that built the fire fighting apparatus would be useful information to have. The second picture is of a Cj2A that once belonged to a volunteer fire department that went up for auction in the early '90s. If memory serves me, it was built by Alexis fire apparatus company. It went for around $1,000 to one of the firefighters to keep it in the "family". The first pictures is of a Dodge M37 that belonged to another volunteer fire department and was auctioned off for a good price. It was where I learned the fine art of double clutching and brake double pumps.

[bmorgil]

It was where I learned the fine art of double clutching and brake double pumps.

Hahaha is that synonymous with no synchronizer's and leaky brakes!

[gmwillys]

Yep, Adapt and overcome. The transmission wasn't synchronized except for 3rd and 4th gear, but the brakes were notorious for needing the double pump. Hopefully by the time the Jeep Fest comes about, I'll get the new master bought and installed on the Heep to get more positive braking like the rest of you.

[bmorgil]

I am never going to get used to the classic huge (ha) drum brakes on these things! I love em cause they were there in 1950. There as good as new now and after a lot of bumping the brake adjustments, I am certain it is as good as it gets. I also think assured clear distance has a whole new meaning to me.

[gmwillys]

The drums on the M37 are just shy of semi truck/trailer size, except they are hydraulic instead of air. Huge wheel cylinders in comparison to the Willys. A little loctite on the adjuster nuts helps, because as tight as you dare, they do tend to loosen up when applying panic stops.

[bmorgil]

I have a heck of a time with my adjusters gm. I think something is amiss. Everything is new except the backing plates. I am not able to turn a cam top or bottom, and stop the drum. I can get close and get it to just touch and rub, but I cant get a real good pressure on the pad with the eccentric to stop the drum completely. In some cases I can just barely touch the shoes to the drum. I am beginning to wonder if I have a full set of undersized shoes and/or drums.

[TJones]

I switched mine to 11” of a pickup and they work great Bob

[bmorgil]

I am stuck on the original concept TJ. I was thinking better brakes but, the hell with it it is so close to completely original. I will just make sure I keep a football field between it and objects.

I was hoping gm would pop in and say "Oh Bob you just need to do this", and fix it for me!

[gmwillys]

I'd fix it for you, no sweat.... But not making solid contact is odd while turning the cams. The issue I have when the lock nut doesn't hold the cam perfectly tight while performing panic stops, is that they over tighten the cams to where the wheel wants to lock up. As with your set up, mine is all recently replaced items sans the backing plate. The next time I service/adjust the Heep, I will knock off all the old paint and crust from the backing plate, and apply some 242 Loctite thread locker to prevent things for loosening up.

Sounds like we need to mic the brake drum and the shoes at full extension and check the drum diameter with the stock side.

[TJones]

I was hoping gm would pop in and say "Oh Bob you just need to do this", and fix it for me!


Give him time he is probably looking something up as we speak:D

[bmorgil]

Sounds like we need to mic the brake drum and the shoes at full extension and check the drum diameter with the stock side.

Crap TJ.... gm gave me some nasty homework.

[LarrBeard]

Crap TJ.... gm gave me some nasty homework.

As I said earlier in the week:

"I firmly believe that no matter how good an old Jeep looks to viewers, the owner always knows that there is just “one more” thing that needs to be improved on. "

Good enough won't do, it has to be perfect....

AS are we all.

[gmwillys]

In my case, I like the imperfection that is the body/tub, but it needs to run and stop as intended. It ain't pretty, but it will get you there.

[5JeepsAz]

Spring has sprung. Jeepers going banana with all these proclamations. Love it. Anybody who is completing actual work either needs to post up some mostly true story threads or post up some picture proofs!!! All this talk. C'mon people. Build build build!!!

[gmwillys]

Patience my good AZ. When the ball starts rolling, you'll be overloaded with rust and despair.

[bmorgil]

Patience my good AZ. When the ball starts rolling, you'll be overloaded with rust and despair.

Hahahaha, gm with the reality of it all!

[5JeepsAz]

He speaketh the truth, as always. I was just the rabble-rouser. Maybe only that fire truck could douse the spirits of jeepers in Spring. Can't wait for the rust and mayhem!